Epidemiology of the homicide-suicide of passion in Italy

Abstract

A survey has been carried out on the Italian newspapers over the years 1985- 2008. 662 cases of homicide-suicide occurred in Italy in that time span, 560 committed by men and 102 by women. About 24% of the cases (156) is ascribable to jealousy: 92.3% (144) was committed by men and 7.7% (12) by women. The homicide-suicide that can be explained through jealousy is the most common category among the cases considered. In about 34% of the cases the perpetrator had a criminal record, even specific to the category. The data raise questions about the actual possibility of protecting the victims and the need for preventive measures.